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8 Reasons for Fotolia Microstock

Posted by Tammy on Apr 17, 2011 in Computer, Gadgets, Websites | 5 comments

You’ve spent all day perfecting the wording for your latest article. You have spent the time researching to make sure your facts are complete, you’ve used your grammar checker, spell checker and all you need now is that graphic that will complement it and draw readers in.

You visit the stock photo sites, search for your subject and you’re rewarded with a variety of images that would be just the right fit. Unfortunately…they do not have the right price tag. So now you can either get a less than perfect image to go with your hard work, or empty your wallet, and maybe not recoup the loss.

OR you can head over to Fotolia.com where individuals and professionals (advertising agencies, press, small business, graphic artists, designers) have access to the greatest image collection in the world for free or as little as $0.75 a photo.  And yes indeed the photos in this article were downloaded from Fotolia.com.

I have been searching for photos, graphics and vectors for the last few days on Fotolia.com and there hasn’t been a subject that I have been looking for that I haven’t found more than enough options to choose from for my projects.  From whimsical to high tech, videos and website fronts – Fotolia has it all.

Here are 8 reasons to consider using Fotolia Microstock for your next project:

1. Time Savings
Fotolia services will save you time, as you are much more likely to find what you need quickly. A savings in time translates into saving money.

2. Clear Licensing Agreement
One hazard of being a designer is learning about copyright laws, restrictions and licenses. On the free photo sites, you have to read the fine print for each and every photo you use. Some photographs come with no restrictions, some are only for non-commercial use and some require the name of the photographer. You don’t have to deal with this headache on Fotolia. The licensing agreement will be the same for all photos in the license category you select, which is typically a standard royalty-free license.

3. Availability of Vector Art and Illustrations
Fotolia offers a wide variety of vector art and illustrations. Illustrated graphics can give a course a completely unique look and feel. Vector art refers to graphics that are hand drawn in a tool like Adobe Illustrator. Because they exist as mathematical renderings, they can be expanded to any size and manipulated in a vector graphics program.

4. Compelling Images
You can find photos based on a concept, emotion or theme. You can find people doing interesting things and simple single objects that are ready to use.

5. Guaranteed Model Releases
You need the signed release of a model to use his or her photo. Model releases are guaranteed with a paid service. This is not true on a free site. That’s why I never use photographs of a person from a free service.

6. More Efficient Search
There’s nothing like typing in the search term ‘money’ and getting back photos of the Eiffel tower. This kind of poor search functionality is common on some free photo sites. On the other hand, efficient search functionality is one of the foundations of Fotolia. Fotolia has staff to tag their photos with keywords, so the results are usually more accurate. The keywords are also translated in many languages.

7. Supports The Arts
The world would only be shades of gray without the Arts. By paying for images, you’re helping photographers and illustrators earn a living. We need them.

8. Reduces Stress
When you can quickly find the graphics you like and need, it reduces your level of stress. And we all need that.

How it works:

Credits are Fotolia’s form of currency. Credits are used to buy images on the website. (Credit from $0.75) Image prices are given in credits; the price depends on the size and use of the purchased image. Image prices are from:

If you need to download a lot of graphics for projects they also have a subscription based system that allows for a certain size and number of downloads a day.

With options for a PowerPoint Plug-in and a Desktop Widget – you have easy and accessible ways to find and download the images you want and need for your projects quickly.

If you run a website, blog, free-lance or do graphic work – we’ve all been there searching for the perfect photo that won’t break the bank.  Fotolia.com should be on the top of your list to find what you need.

You can connect with Fotolia in all these social networks:  (If you fan them on Facebook –   They have free image downloads for their fans!)

“I received a one month subscription for 5 downloads a day from Fotolia.com. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and no other monetary compensation took place.”